BABADAG

babadag, or babatag, a town in the department of tulcea, rumania; situated on a small lake formed by the river taitza among the densely wooded highlands of the northern dobrudja. pop. (1900) about 3500. the taitza lake is divided only by a strip of marshland from lake razim, a broad landlocked sheet of water which opens on the black sea. babadag is a market for the wool and mutton of the dobrudja. it was founded by bayezid i., sultan of the turks from 1389 to 1403. it occasionally served as the winter headquarters of the turks in their wars with russia, and was bombarded by the russians in 1854.